After nailing the murderer of her addict mom and proving that her detractors are full of it, seventeen-year-old Faith Flores is back for another kick-ass science mystery. She's proud to be chosen for a summer internship at a research lab in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but once she arrives, complications abound. For one thing, Santa Fe is the birthplace of the father she's never met, and for another, she clashes with a local environmentalist trying to pull the plug on the genetically modified chiles her new boss is engineering. She and violin prodigy, Clem, learn of a new teen drug called liquid gold while discreetly researching the family angle. The chip on Faith's shoulder is still there, but so is her determination to uncover the truth when a girl she meets at a party dies from an overdose of liquid gold.

Faith Flores has landed a summer internship at a research lab in Santa Fe New Mexico. Santa Fe is the birthplace of her birth father. Faith finds more about her birth family. She makes friend with musician Clem. Faith also finds herself in the middle of a conflict with the company she works for. It’s between her work and the environmentalist that is against the genetically modified chiles. There is also a new drug floating around called liquid gold. When a girl dies at a party she went through from the liquid gold, Faith has to get to the bottom of it.

In an Oyster Shell – An interesting YA mystery.

The Pearls – The mystery was the best part of the story. The mystery was multi-faceted. There was the mystery of Faith’s family. The mystery of the conflict of the modified chiles. Then there was the mystery of the liquid gold. The mysteries all together made for an intriguing story.

The setting was well defined and made you feel like you were there. You get to learn a lot about New Mexico in this story. I like stories that transport the reader and this story does that.

The characters were compelling. Faith was an inquisitive science nerd. She uses science to solve her mysteries. The supporting characters added depths and lots of layers to the story. My favorite character was Faith’s half-sister Amelia. Amelia was moody but talented. She was angry at the world when you first meet her but she grows into a sympathetic character.

The Sand – The romance was a little distracting but added an interesting layer.

3.5 Pearls!

About Janie Chodosh

My life work and passion has been a mix of natural history, conservation, and writing. I earned a master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Montana and has worked as a naturalist in Yosemite National Park, a wilderness guide for the Colorado Outward Bound School, a trip leader for the Montana Natural History Center, and as the state education director for the New Mexico chapter of the National Audubon Society. I am currently involved with elephant conservation in Assam, India. I have two novels in the Faith Flores Science Mysteries: Death Spiral (2014, Poisoned Pen Press), and Code Red (February 2017, Poisoned Pen Press). I live in Santa Fe, New Mexico with my husband, daughter, stepson, and dog, Bryn. http://www.janiechodosh.com